Pyrophoric lighter



Jall- 5, 1954 H. scHwElTzER 2,664,728

PYROPHORIC LIGHTER Filed April 2l, 1953 ,und

ATTORNSYS Patented Jan. 5, 1954 l UNITED stares rArsNT OFFECE PYROPHORIC LIGHTER Harry Schweitzer, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Application April 21, 1953, Serial No. 350,061

(Cl. IS7- 7.1)

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a pyrophoric lighter.

An object of the invention is to provide a cigarette lighter having the finger piece and the snuer in one integral piece enclosing the working mechanism.

Another object is to provide a lighter which is sturdy, neat and reliable.

In the drawings which illustrate the invention, and in which like lreference numerals indicate like parts:

Fig, 1 is a side view, partly in section, of a cigarette lighter;

Fig. 2` is a top view of the cigarette lighter shown in Fig. 1 with the snuiier broken away;

Fig. 3 is a rear view of the upper portion of the cigarette lighter shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the upper portion of the cigarette lighter with the snuffer broken away and the iinger piece depressed; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional View taken L through the friction wheel of the lighter.

The lighter illustrated has a fuel-containing casing I with upper and lower ends I a and I b sloping downwardly from the front of the casing. A wick 2 extends through the upper end Ia of the casing and is normally covered by a cylindrical cap 3a of a snuffer 3, the snuii'er forming an integral part of a nger piece t which is pivotally mounted on the casing by means of pivot pins sa journalled on ears Ic on the upper end Ia of the casing. Under the iinger piece and rigidly secured to its rear wall is a post IIb having a neck 4c at its free end, and grasping the post 4b at the neck lic is a bifurcated stem 5a of a plunger 5. The plunger 5 works in a cylindrical cup 5 within the casing I at the upper end thereof, and is normally biased to its uppermost position by a spring 'I which is in compression between the upper end of the cup 6 and the bifurcated end of the stem 5a. Thus, the spring I normally holds the linger piece 4 in the position shown in Figs. l, 2 and 3, with the snuffer 3 covering the wick 2.

A friction wheel having an irregular peripheral surface is journalled on the ears Ic by means of a pin 9 located forwardly of the pins 4a. A pyrophoric element I Il is urged into frictional engagement with the peripheral surface of the friction wheel by means of a spring II which is in compression within a tube I2 inside the casing Ia, the element It projecting from an opening in the end I a of the casing. The two side surfaces of the friction wheel 8 are provided with ratchet formations. rhus, the side of the frictional wheel that is visible in Fig. 1 has, adjacent the periphery of the wheel, two arcuate depressions I3, one end i3d of each depression having an abrupt face forming a ratchet tooth, and the other end of the depression having a face I3b inclined about 45 to the side surface of the friction wheel. The other side surface of the friction wheel has a pair of arcuate depressions I4 similar to the depressions I3 and having abrupt tooth surfaces Ma at one end and inclined surfaces Idbat the other end, the depressions I4 being staggered around the axis of the friction wheel relative to the depressions I3 so that, in the construction illustrated in which there are two depressions I3 and two depressions I4, each tooth Ma is one-quarter of the circumference of the friction wheel away from each tooth Ita.

A yoke member I5 has a pair ci arms I5@ on either side of the friction wheel the arms Ia being journalled on the pin 9 so that the yoke member I5 is free to oscillate coaxially with the friction wheel 8. The arms I5@ have aligned openings Ib in which a pawl bar I6 is slidably mountedy the bar I 6 extending between the yoke I 5 and the peripheral surface of the friction Wheel 8 as best seen in Fig. 5 and being supported in the openings I5?) for slidable movement in a direction parallel to the pin 9. The pawl bar i6 has at each end a pawl portion or tooth I6a, the teeth ita being able to ride over the inclined surfaces Ib and Iib of the ratchet formations on the friction wheel but being adapted to engage the teeth Ita and Ida.

One arm I5a of the yoke has a radial slot Iiic into which extends a pin fic rigidly mounted on the finger piece 4 so that movement of the finger piece causes movement of the yoke I5 through the pin and slot connection 4c, E50.

When the finger piece t is pressed downwardly against the force of the spring l, the pin 4c causes the yoke I5 to rotate in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1; with the parts in the position shown in Fig. 1 the pawl tooth Ita on the far side of the friction wheel 8 is in engagement with a tooth I 4o; of the friction wheel so that'when the 'nger piece is depressed the friction wheel rotates in a counter-clockwise direction against the pyrophoric element I0. The frictional movement of the friction wheel against the element Ill causes sparks which ignite the fuel on the wick 2, the wick being of course uncovered as the iinger piece is depressed. The finger piece is shown in Fig. e in the fully depressed position. When the nger piece is released, the spring 'I forces it upwardly and the pawl teeth Ita ride over the ratchet forma- 3 tions on the friction wheel 8 until the snuffer 3 again covers the wick 2, in which position a pawl tooth 16a is adapted to engage a ratchet tooth l3a the next time the nger piece is depressed.

It will be seen that on successive operations of the lighter the teeth of the pawl bar i6 engage alternately ratchet teeth on opposite sides of the friction wheel 8. The friction wheel is of course prevented from clockwise rotation as viewed in Fig. l by the friction between its peripheral surface and the pyrophoric element it.

Gnfeach operation of the lighter, the friction wheel makes approximately one-quarter of a revolution. Since the pivotal axis of the nger piece ll is not coincident with the axis of the pin 9, it is not necessary to move the finger piece through a very large arc in order to rotate the friction wheel one-quarter of a revolution, and the rotation of the `friction wheel is very rapid. It will be seen that with the construction illustrated it is practical to make the finger piece and the snuffel in one integral piece which encloscs the working mechanism, protecting the working mechanism and giving the lighter a neat external appearance.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown and described, is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, sise and arrangement of the parts may be resorted to without departing from the scope f the claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. A pyrophoric h hter comprising a fuel-containing casing, a fi lotion wheel rotatabiy mounted on the casing and having irregular' peripheral surface, a pyrophoric element urged into frictional engagement with said surface, the friction wheel having opposite side suriaces with ratchet formations thereon, the ratchet formation on each side surface comprising a plurality of ratchet teeth at spaced apart locations around the axis of the wheel, the ratchet teeth on one side surface being in staggered relationship to the ratchet teeth on the other side surface, a yoke member rotatably mounted on the casing coaxially with the friction wheel and adapted to osciliate coaxially therewith without interfering with the frictional engagement of the friction Wheel athe pyrophoric element, a pawl bar slidable in the yoke member parallel to the axis of the friction wheel and adjacent the peripheral surface of the friction wheel, the pawl bar having a Erst tooth adapted to engage the ratchet teeth on said one side surface of the friction wheel and a second tooth adapted to engage the ratchet teeth on said other side surface of the friction wheel, a finger piece moiably mounted on the casing, a spring biasing the nger piece to one position, the finger piece being movable against the force of the spring to another position, and means coupling the yoke member to the nger piece whereby movement of the finger piece from said one position to said other position causes rotation of the yoke member in one sense, the iirst tooth on the pawl bar engaging a ratchet tooth on said one side surface of the frictionwheel causing the friction wheel to rotate in said sense against the pyrophoric element, movement of the nger piece from said other position to said one position causing rotation of the yoke member in the opposite CID sense, the pawl bar riding over the ratchet formations until the second tooth is adapted to engage a ratchet tooth on said other side surface of the friction Wheel on a subsequent movement of the finger piece from said one position to said other position.

2. A pyrophoric lighter as claimed in claim l, in which the finger piece is pivotally mounted on the casing on an axis parallel to but distinct from the axis of the friction wheel and the yoke member, the means coupling the yoke member to the nger piece being a pin and slot connection between the yoke member and the nger piece.

3. A pyrophoric lighter as claimed in claim 2, in which a wick is provided on the casing and a snuffer for the Wick is an integral part of the iinger piece.

4. A pyrophoric lighter comprising a fuel-containing casing, a wick on the casing, a finger piece pivotally mounted on the casing and having an integral snuifer for the wick, a spring biasing the finger piece to one position in whic' the snuifer covers the wick, the finger piece being movable against the force of the spring to another position in which the snuifer uncovers the wick, a friction wheel rotatably mounted on the casing on an axis parallel to but distinct from the axis of the finger piece, the friction wheel having an irregular peripheral surface, a pyrophoric element urged into frictional engagement with said surface, the friction Wheel having opposite side surfaces with ratchet formations thereon, the ratchet formation on each surface comprising a plurality of ratchet teeth at spaced apart locations around the axis of the wheel, the ratchet teeth on one side surface being in staggered relationship to the ratchet teeth on the other side surface, a yoke member rotatably mounted on the casing coaxially with the friction wheel and adapted to cscllate coaxially therewith without interfering with the frictional engagement of the friction wheel and the pyrophoric element, the yoke member providing a first pawl portion adapted to engage the ratchet teeth on said one side surface 0f the friction wheel and a second pawl portion adapted to engage the ratchet teeth on said other side surface of the friction wheel, and a pin and slot connection between the yoke member and the iinger piece whereby movement of the finger piece from one position to said other position causes rotation of the yoke member in one sense, the first pawl portion engaging a ratchet tooth on said one side surface of the friction Wheel causing the friction wheel to rotate in said sense against the pyrophoric element, movement of the finger from said other position to said one position causing rotation of the yoke member in the opposite sense, the pawl portions riding over the re che-t formations until the second pawl portion is adapted to engage a ratchet tooth on said other side surface of the friction wheel on a subsequent movement of the nger piece from said o -e position to said other position.

HARRY SCHW'EITZER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,857,200 L'agerholm May l0, 1932 2,552,718 Hutchinson et al. May l5, 195i 

